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The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Sunday, April 5, 2009

HIV-resistant Ugandans found

A small fraction of Ugandans have been able to naturally knock off HIV from their body, a development that could lead to an HIV vaccine, scientists have said.

Full Story

Secrets to saving $50 a day

Secrets to saving $50 a day

Three super-saver families share the changes they made — and the deals they found — to pinch more pennies.

Secrets to saving $50 a day

Also:

Shooter Video Games ‘Sharpen Vision’

Interesting:

Far from being harmful to eyesight, as some had feared, action games such as Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, or Left 4 Dead provide excellent training for what eye doctors call contrast sensitivity, the study found.

Contrast sensitivity is the ability to notice tiny changes in shades of grey against a uniform background, and is critical to everyday activities such as night driving and reading. It often degrades with age.

Read more from Shooter Video Games ‘Sharpen Vision’

It's Tartan Day tomorrow

Since tomorrow is TARTAN DAY ...
tartan sheep
Tartan clan: Grant Bell's sheep

A farmer has bred the first ever tartan sheep – creating a minor tourist attraction at his farm in Scotland.

Grant Bell has taken to parading the colorful flock across his East Lothian property to the sound of bagpipes.

'The sheep are a great attraction for the public and are the talking point of the area,' Mr Bell said.

Lookin' Out My Back Door


Credence Clearwater Revival

Sick turtle checks herself into hospital

Also found this over at TreeHugger:

loggerhead sea turtle ill photo
Photo: Corvette Diver via Flickr

A 73-pound loggerhead turtle materialized in the waters near the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida on March 29. Loggerhead turtles are not common in the harbor. When hospital personnel first spied the turtle, they assumed it had gotten lost. After further examination, the staff observed that the sea-bound reptile had large barnacles on its shell and appeared to be emaciated, both signs of poor health. Hospital workers sprang into action. Dinghies were deployed and nets were wielded. For nearly an hour, there was no sign of the turtle.

The Seasick (Septic) Sea Turtle
When the turtle finally surfaced after 45 minutes, it was dragged into the boat and taken to the hospital. The turtle, a female, was dubbed Kincaid. Her blood work revealed that she was septic. After a few weeks of antibiotics and treatment, Kincaid should make a full recovery. You can check for updates on her status at the Turtle Hospital's blog.

From Turtle Hospital blog:

This was by far the easiest rescue to date! If there was ever a case for evolution… this would seem to be evidence like no other – a sick animal arriving at the hospital on its own! Of course, we could only wish this were true.

Loggerheads are a Threatened Species
Loggerhead turtles are listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. Commercial fishing, specifically artisanal fishing has had a hefty impact on loggerhead turtles. Environmental contamination is also listed among the top threats to marine turtles. Find out how you can help the sea turtles.

Kincaid "the Sick Sea Turtle's" Fate
Once her treatment is at an end, Kincaid will be released back into the harbor where she was found, just fifty feet from the hospital. The Turtle Hospital allows visitors, so if you're in the neighborhood, you can pay Kincaid a visit. She's certainly not shy.

*****

Cute story with a happy ending in the offing - a rarity these days it seems.

Get the wolves back on

From TreeHugger:

Northern Rocky Mountain Gray Wolves.jpg
photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Over 100 Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves have been killed since the shrub cabal removed the wolves from the federal list of endangered species last year. The State of Idaho recently proposed killing another 120 in the Clearwater region alone and may destroy an additional 26 packs statewide. In response, the National Resources Defense Council and numerous other conservation groups are suing the US Fish and Wildlife Service to stop the slaughter.

Article continues: Conservation Groups Fight to Get Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves Back on the Endangered Species List

Kelebek-Türk

From TreeHugger:

turkish butterflies species collage photo

Just a few of the 400 butterfly species in Turkey.

Photo via Kelebek-Türk Gözlemciler Grubu

Lepidopterists are few and far between in Turkey, with just a few dozen butterfly-watchers, compared to 10,000 in England, for example. But the objects of their attention are present in abundance. Some 400 butterfly species are found in the country, and 253 of them are featured in a colorful new report, the Kelebek-Türk 2008 Almanac. (Kelebek is Turkish for butterfly.)

Article continues: Turkey's Butterfly Bounty Documented in New Report

Lie of "Liberal Media" Exposed

The 'liberal media' is AWOL completely on the issue of UNION SIGN UP;...The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA;) as being waged in congress.
For a true picture of the leanings on your favorite media, look at their position on this issue.

Man Robs Disabled Woman, Makes Strange Request

It was bad enough that a disabled North Texas woman had to make a trip to the doctor's office; then the appointment was delayed by a knife wielding robber.

Full Story

Tipped off, Police break up pillow fight

Police in Detroit have ruffled some feathers after they cracked down on an organized pillow fight at a downtown park.

Full Story

And I Quote

Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.

~ Mark Twain

In the path of the storm

The speed at which a hurricane progresses across the ocean may help forecasters predict which areas are at risk from flooding by storm surges.

Unusual source for Bio-Gas

With the help of a novel bacterial trick, electricity from power plants can be used to turn CO2 into methane – it could help solve reliability problems with wind and solar power.

Bacterium eats electricity, farts Bio-Gas

The five ages of the brain: Adulthood

The peak of your brain's powers comes at around age 22 and lasts for just half a decade - but there is an upside to the ageing brain (Image: Steve Craft / Stone / Getty)

Part 4: The peak of your brain's powers comes at around age 22 and lasts for just half a decade – but there is an upside to the aging brain.

Adulthood

Antarctic ice shelf half the size of Scotland on verge of collapse

The Wilkins ice shelf in the antarctic is in the last stages of collapse and could break up within days in the latest sign of how global warming is changing the face of the planet.

Read the Guardian's story here.

Read the BBC-Science story here.

White-nose syndrome

White-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal infection that has devastated bat populations in New York and New England in the past two years, has now spread to three states on Maryland's borders - and seems poised to strike there next, biologists say.

Eleanor Rigby


The Beatles

Taliban threaten two attacks per week in Pakistan

Suicide bomber targets Pakistani police
Play Video
Suicide bomber targets Pakistani police

A suicide bombing at a crowded Shiite mosque south of Pakistan's capital killed 22 people Sunday, the latest evidence of how security in the U.S.-allied nation is crumbling well beyond the Afghan border region where al-Qaida and Taliban fighters thrive.

The violence came as a senior Pakistani Taliban commander said his group was behind a deadly suicide bombing Saturday night in Islamabad and promised two more attacks per week in the country if the U.S. does not stop missile strikes on Pakistani territory.
Relatives of victims killed by a suicide bomber in a mosque, react in a hospital
Relatives of victims killed by a suicide bomber in a mosque, react in a hospital in Chakwal city in Punjab.

Read the rest here.

*****

If this is how these nutcases are going to act then we should INCREASE the number of missiles targeting them and wipe them off the planet once and for all.

There is no place on this planet for this type of idiotic behavior and insane antics and any who engage in such shall be summarily and utterly destroyed by whatever means works the swiftest.

The people of Pakistan are tired of this crap as much as the rest of us - it is their government's responsibility to eradicate these felons ... something they have yet failed in.

Now is the time to stamp out these blights on the world because Mother Gaia will if we do not ... and one does not fool around with Mother Gaia - it is akin to grabbing a tiger by the tail, pointless for the business end of the tiger will come back upon you when you do.

And these insane fools have tugged at the Tiger's tale once too often.

Dog Urine, A Fight and Three Dead Police Officers ...

... what do these three things have in common?!

A 911 call that brought two city police officers to a home where they were ambushed, and where a third was later killed during a four-hour siege, was precipitated by a fight between the gunman and his mother over a dog urinating in the house.

North Korean rocket launch

The rocket appears to have fizzled in the Pacific Ocean, while world leaders criticize defiant North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

Outcry over North Korean rocket launch

Also read:

Do dogs really look like their owners?

Do dogs really look like their owners?

An experiment matches certain breeds of dogs with particular kinds of people.

Do dogs really look like their owners?

Welcome to Tone-Deaf Bureaucracy

Now, starring Corey Surrency
Obscure rule thwarts rising NCAA football star

A seldom-used regulation cuts short the college career of Florida State's Corey Surrency.

The rule in question:

The rule is No. 14.2.3.5 in the NCAA Division I Manuel [sic]. It is titled, "Participation After 21st Birthday," and it mandates the following: If an individual participates in an organized sport after his 21st birthday, but before enrolling in college, that participation "shall count as one year of varsity competition in that sport.
Welcome to Tone-Deaf Bureaucracy indeed.
Surrency played with the (Tampa, Florida) Kings after he had turned 21. Had he not, he might never have had the chance to go to college. Regardless, though, his time with the Kings has cost him his final year of eligibility — at least for now. Florida State is appealing on Surrency's behalf.

If FSU loses the appeal, Surrency's college football career would be over. It's likely, too, that [with the loss of his athletic scholarship] his pursuit of earning a degree in criminal justice — Surrency would become the first member of his family to earn a college degree — would also be over.

As if the bureaucracy cared.

Obscure rule thwarts rising NCAA football star

America's most livable cities

America's most livable cities

These towns are the easiest places to live in, according to a survey that measures quality-of-life factors.

America's most livable cities

Check out:

And I Quote

You can observe a lot just by watching.

~ Yogi Berra

Police issue traffic ticket for over $37,000

A police captain in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley said it's the highest fine he's ever seen on a traffic ticket: $37,554.54.

Bethlehem Police Capt. David Kravatz said the major violation was not getting the "super load" permit that was needed because the truck was hauling a 213,000-pound steel cylinder. Police cited the driver and truck owner.

Kravatz said the truck sat idle for almost three weeks after it tipped on March 12 because a new route, proper permits and a police escort took so long to plan.

It was removed Wednesday.

Man arrested just before grand opening at store

Just as a Massachusetts man was about to open his new urban clothing store in Newport, New Hampshire, police arrested him on a federal warrant.

The 26-year-old man was arrested in front of his store, Mr. G's Fashions, shortly before its grand opening Wednesday.

The New Hampshire Union Leader reported the man was arrested on a federal warrant for a charge of felon in possession of a firearm.

Police also said they found heroin and cocaine in the car he arrived in.

It was unclear whether the store, which would have started selling clothing, music and other items, would open in the future.

Making Crystal Meth Religiously

Crystal Meth makers wrote recipe in Bible

Police investigators in Elkhart, Indiana say they found the recipe for making methamphetamine in an odd place: in a Bible on the last page of the Book of Revelation.

Officers made discovery as they searched an apartment after arresting two people on methamphetamine possession and manufacturing charges Tuesday night.

Police Lt. Ed Windbigler said the recipe was handwritten on the bottom of the page.

Because there was an active Meth lab in the apartment, officers evacuated the building's other 18 residents.

It was the second time in the past six months a Meth lab was discovered in the building.

A meth lab exploded there in October, sending two to the hospital.

*****

Might just be a 'revelation' is going on it that building. No telling what they're 'seeing' there.

Man pleads guilty to serial shrimp shoplifting

A Massachusetts man has pleaded guilty to being a serial shrimp shoplifter at a New Hampshire supermarket, but hasn't explained why he couldn't stay away from the frozen fish.

John Silvera, 46, pleaded guilty to charges of shoplifting and simple assault in connection with his arrest last month. Police said he stole about $500 worth of shrimp in four separate trips to the Salem Market Basket.

The Eagle-Tribune reported his plea deal required him to waive extradition so he can answer to another shoplifting charge from Methuen, where he is accused of making off with a jacket full of frozen shrimp at a Market Basket there.

Silvera was expected to spend several months in jail before being sent to Oklahoma to face drug trafficking charges there.

*****

Doesn't he know shrimp are BAD for your health - they have the highest level you can eat for cholesterol ... the LDL kind, you know the badass cholesterol (with the exception of maybe pure unrefined lard - then again Oleo/Margerine is like injecting liquified plastic directly into you arteries).

W.Va. retiree aces consecutive holes

A Boone County golfer has two reasons to celebrate a hole-in-one at Charleston's Coonskin Park. Retiree Carl Smith, 70, aced consecutive holes on the executive par 3 course Tuesday. Starting his round on the back nine, Smith used a pitching wedge to ace the 70-yard 18th hole. He said it never entered his mind to try for another.

After a short snack break, Smith used a sand wedge on the 100-yard first hole and saw his tee shot bounce twice before disappearing into the cup. His friend, Bob Roy, witnessed the feats.

Smith took up golf after retiring in 1999 and finding a full set of clubs at a discount store for $4.95. His first hole-in-one came three years ago.

Smith was busy with other matters Wednesday - he's in a weekly bowling league.

I want to be a rock star


Nickelback and 'Guests'

Live grenade found by Texas roofers

Texas City, Texas workers removing a roof in Texas nearly had the job done for them ...

... by accident.

Police in Texas City said a construction crew found a live World War II-era hand grenade in the attic of a home Thursday.

Police say an FBI bomb technician was called and the grenade was detonated at a shooting range with no injuries.

Doug Johnson says he bought the house in 1992. It's more than 50 years old.

The roof was being replaced because of damage from Hurricane Ike last year.

N.C. foreclosure filings back up after lull

FORECLOSURE

Mecklenburg activity grows 40% in March over the previous year; state filings up 11%.

N.C. Foreclosures

Just a Question

It's Sunday!
Why aren't you sleeping in late?

Liars and Fools

Today's Liars and Fools ...
You guessed it's Faux News.
Check out this moron.

This is a recording of Steve Bierfeldt, a US citizen who tried to board a domestic airplane while carrying $4700 in cash, and was detained by the TSA and subjected to abusive language and threats when he said that he would only answer the TSA's inquiries ("Where do you work?" "Why are you carrying cash?") if he was required to by law.

The TSA agents threatened to turn him over to the DEA.

He was returning from a Ron Paul event in St Louis, MO, having worked for the campaign.

The cash was from sales of t-shirts and stickers at the event.

The transport cops in the audio recording of his interrogation actually tell him if he's not guilty he has nothing to fear.

So, exactly what security threat does cash pose to an airplane?

Now, wait for it ...

Here comes the clueless commenter chiming in who opines, "Well what did he expect when he told the law enforcement person that he expected to be informed of his rights and legal obligations before he would answer his questions?"

You mean our constitutional liberties are only there to be admired, not exercised, right?!

Everyone, let's countdown, 2, 1, ... 'you fu(king moron!'

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Kaiserslauten, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Rimbo, Stockholms Lan, Sweden
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Haar, Bayern, Germany
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Nepean, Ontario, Canada
San Jose, San Jose, Costa Rica
Kiev, Kyyiv, Ukraine
Moscow, Moscow City, Russian Federation

as well as Washington, District of Columbia, United States and all fifty states in the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

Just use your imagination to come up with ideas or choices that will fill in the blanks and keep you going!

You got it.